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To read more than 200 comments...

click on the title of any post, it is a link to a separate page that shows all the comments. Scroll down to the bottom of the comments until you see the words newer and newest next to the number of comments on the right, those words are links that will lead you to a new page of comments. :)

After my parents divorce we had to get food stamps. I was about 12 years old.

As an adult, I had a period where I was "transient", sleeping on friends couches, stuff like that. I worked in the hotel business and could eat for free or at least cheaply in the cafeteria. I did finally get my shit together. Eventually.

Late to the party, but I spent most of my childhood into adolescence in federally funded housing projects. The Projects, aka The Ghetto.The only concrete constant I took from that time is that where you start out has little to do with where you end up. Every adult is responsible for their own circumstance. Period. Outside shit happens, but *you* decide who you are. No excuses. The world doesn't care about your sob story.

The poorest I've ever been was when I got laid off not long after 9/11. Getting laid off was not a result of the attacks, I just remember it being right after that happened. But because of the questionable economy and general uncertainty, it was REALLY difficult to find a job and I fell into a pretty bad depression. After 6 or 7 months of subsisting on unemployment benefits, and at the encouragement of my partner, I finally found a state job and have been here ever since. I do not miss those days. To everyone going through that right now, I wish you the best! Don't give up!

I grew up across a few blocks from the projects, but still in the ghetto. It was once a nice middle class neighborhood when my mom was a child. She hung on to that belief with both hands. She insisted we were "lower middle class". That is funny looking back! We lived in a border city where nearly everyone was poor. We just had a little...like made $1000 a year too much to qualify for food stamps, and we had reduced lunch not free lunch...so we were "lower middle". We had gang graffiti on our wall, only one pair of shoes, 3 school outfits to rotate, but we were not poor.

18 in college, waiting tables, and living in my own apartment. Someone stole all my money on the 29th of the month. Rent, all utilities, and spending money. I started using my bank account after that and had a hell of a 2 week stretch working all doubles.

Zeri dollars. Less than zero. When my son fell asleep- he was like 3- we snuch his giant mickey mouse head band out to living room to roll pennies for gas and food. Next thing we hear is"hey, whatta ya doing with my bank?" Lol. Im extremely extremely lucky. I have been broke, i have been 6 months in arrears on my mortgage, but i have always figured out a way out. On my own. Good practice too.

As a college student I worked 3 jobs in between classes for extra cash. My dad lost his job and my mom became depressed and withdrawn. Very shitty time of my life but today I am so much stronger for it. I am still extremely scared of ever being poor again!

I'm in the same boat with Aunt Liddy. I may be broke at times, but I've always been able to keep a roof over my kids' heads (still am, unfortunately) and food on the table. I'm educated, skilled, and a survivor. I, unfortunately, am just not ambitious enough to get out there and really sell myself. But I'm now drawing 2 retirement checks and have a great job that I love, and my house will be paid for in about 2 years... so I see better days ahead, financially.

@derek harveyNo, you're awesome!Don't worry, I wasn't at all insulted, just surprised. I like Riven very much and I'd also like to think if I put the time and effort in I *could* be a troll (you know, if I didn't have a full-time job and everything).

Poorest I'd ever been was as an actress in NYC but man oh man...What a wonderful time I had looking back on it. NOT saying everyone who's been strapped should look upon it as a great time. I just met the coolest people and felt the freest I'd ever been trying to live my dream. But yeah, them was some hongray days.

When my son was 18 months, he had to go into the hospital with pneumonia from H1N1. Our insurance at the time sucked balls, and our portion of the 4 day stay + treatment was $4000. We had probably $300 in the bank. After the bill arrived, we also found out that our tax prep guy left off a chunk of our income from the previous year and he missed a 1099 as well, so we were slapped with another $4000 bill from the IRS. It was crushing financially at the time, but it was incredibly hard to be upset considering my son had just recovered from a situation where we were scared for his life.

Correct AKM. it is entirely relative. In my profession, the old adage "there's always somebody worse off than you" has been witnessed over & over again. I also feel dubious about making personal disclosures to an unknown online entity. Some people don't wish to discuss it. Turdy turd Enty

@secret - you are incredibly brave. Go you! My former G.P was unemployed, 30, no tertiary studies, did a bridging course, went to med school and became a doctor. He was my hero when I was 17, about to start uni, with no idea what to do. You're to be admired! Good luck.

I once lived on a bag of grapefruit for a week ... I had moved to LA, could barely afford rent and gas on my paycheck and so food was a luxury. Every piece of furniture originally had a "free" sign on it on curbs the day after garage sales ended.

Ultimately I moved onto a girlfriend's couch until things turned around, which they ultimately did. You just keep putting one foot in front of another.

@Bee HavenI must admit, I wasn't expecting that. Not that I mind being mistaken for someone as smart and funny as Riven, but I was a reader during the worst of the trolling and paranoia and I saw that feelings were hurt and internet friendships damaged. Let's not return to those days.

Admiration for so many of you. Courage, stamina and faith gets you through.

I lived on grapefruit juice, corn tortillas and jalapenos when I was a was a broke, going homeless with no job punk rock chick back in the late 1970's. Like many of you said - it was both a desperate and an unbelievably great time in my life.

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